SECTION 1 PERSON PAPER

Section 1 Person Paper

Jacquelyn Darelli
SLCC - PSY1100

Abstract
Dennis and Pamela are newlyweds beginning their life together. They met when Dennis was 27
years old and when Pamela was 24 years old. After three years of dating, they are now married
and ready to start a family. They both came from white middle class families of Portland,
Oregon, which is also where they got married. Dennis and Pamela very much appreciate the
scenic backdrop that the Oregon coast provides and know that is where they want to stay and
raise a family. Both have their family support systems nearby, which is key to them and their
decision to live in town and plant some roots of their own. Contributing to their decision to stay
in the town they grew up in, is their stable and enjoyable careers that each of them have thrived
in and plan on pursuing long term. Pamela is a real estate agent and Dennis works in finance.

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Both of them enjoy their jobs and appreciate the fact they are healthy and able to work and
contribute to society. Speaking of healthy... Both Pamela and Dennis are lucky to have clean bills
of health! Pamela suffers from the occasional migraine, but nothing too concerning. Dennis is the
type that even if something was wrong, he would argue going to see a doctor. Unless something
is excruciatingly painful or broken, he handles the common illnesses himself by taking an aspirin
and calling it "good". As I mentioned before, these two are ready to start a family and it didn't
seem to take long for them to announce that Pamela is pregnant with their first child! Less than a
year after tying the knot, these two are ready for the biggest adventure that life offers! Overall,
Pamela seemed thrilled and calm, excited but cautious as the news settled and the idea of what is
truly happening sunk in. She began reading books to help gain an understanding and knowledge
base for what is currently happening and what is yet to come. They were lucky enough to get
pregnant naturally, no help needed from a doctor, which is a relief since they had considered their
age when they began the process as a possible contributing factor in their conception process.
Prenatally, their baby has developed according to schedule and has shown no signs of concern
through the doctor's imaging and blood and urine tests. Pamela is approximately "at the end of
the eighth week after conception (56 days), the embryo weighs just one-thirtieth of an ounce (1
gram) and is about 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) long. It has all the organs and body parts (except
sex organs) of a human being, including elbows and knees. It moves frequently, about 150 times
per hour, but such movement is random and imperceptible to" (Berger, 2014, Ch.2, Page 59)
Pamela at this time. A few weeks later Dennis and Pamela arrive at their doctor's appointment to
find out the sex of their child, which they have been anxiously awaiting. Neither Pamela nor
Dennis are hoping for a boy or a girl, the excitement is more aimed at the reality and connection
that comes along with knowing if there's a little girl or little boy in there! After a few silent

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moments, the doctor turns to them and shares the great news, they're having a girl! Pamela and
Dennis could not be more thrilled! Their baby girl is measuring accordingly and looks healthy on
the ultrasound. Fast forward to "about 38 weeks (266 days) after conception, the fetal brain
signals the release of hormones, specifically oxytocin, which prepares the fetus for delivery and
starts labor" (Berger, 2014, Ch.2, Page 61). Hours later and their little girl is born! Pamela
endured a difficult labor, almost reaching 12 hours from the start of contractions to their baby's
birth, but in the end, no complications, which they are both grateful for. Dennis and Pamela
named their little bundle of joy, Riley. Knowing the importance of the first few hours of Riley's
life, Pamela decides to undergo "kangaroo care, which the newborn lies between the mother's
breasts, skin-to-skin, listening to hear heartbeat and feeling her body heat. Many studies find that
kangaroo-care newborns sleep more deeply, gain weigh more quickly, and spend more time alert
than do infants with standard care (Ludington-Hoe, 2011)" (Berger, 2014, Ch.2, page 69).
The first few months of Riley's life is vastly important as motor skills are developing and
sensations and perceptions are budding, which is why nutrition is vital. Knowing how crucial
breast feeding is to an infant's health, Pamela researched that "babies who are exclusively breastfed are less often sick. In infancy, breast milk provides antibodies against any disease to which
the mother is immune and decreases allergies and asthma. Disease protection continues lifelong
because babies who are exclusively breast-fed for six months are less likely to become obese
(Huh et al.,2011) and thus less likely to develop diabetes or heart disease" (Berger, 2014, Ch.3,
Page 109). Along with ensuring her health, both Pamela and Dennis have connected with Riley
and have developed an attachment to one another. A sense of trust has been established along
with a parenting style known as proximal parenting. As Riley grows, so does her personality.
Now 5 years old, Riley is in the preoperational intelligence stage, where children demonstrate

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little logic but do express symbolic thought which is when children indulge in pretend activities
or make believe ideas. Riley has an imaginary friend, a little purple giraffe she calls Rain.
Pamela says they "play" together after school sometimes and you can often hear Riley speaking
and making up voices in conversation with herself. This girl has such an imagination! Her theory
of mind is developing and as it does, Rain seems to be addressed less and less often. Riley is
progressing through her emotional regulation which is her "ability to control when and how
emotions are expressed" (Berger, 2014, Ch.6, Page 206). Dennis and Pamela are constantly
encouraging Riley to be confident and proud of herself. She is learning similar concepts in
school, along with prosocial behaviors and self control. They are working on their authoritative
parenting style, "setting limits, but are flexible. They encourage maturity, but they usually listen
and forgive (not punish) if they child falls short. They consider themselves guides, not authorities
and not friends" (Berger, 2014, Ch.6, Page 217). Riley is now in middle childhood at age 10 and
has grown into a responsible and considerate little girl. She sings in her school choir and also
plays on a co-ed soccer team. She enjoys reading and writing and has shown a significant gain in
her overall knowledge base of information.
Dennis and Pamela are still going strong and remain a nuclear family which "consists of a
fathers, a mother and their biological children under age 18" (Berger, 2014 Ch.8, Page 294).
They have had a second child, another girl who is now 3 years old. Riley loves having a sister
and spends time playing with her and making her laugh. Having a sibling, according to Pamela
and Dennis has made Riley a more patient child. She offers to help feed her and pick out her
outfit for the day. The family feels complete. As Riley grows, her parents have such confidence
in the person she is and who she will become. They know the teen years are approaching and are
hoping for the best, as far what choices she'll make and how she will react to certain situations

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she will face. Dennis and Pamela have lived in the same town since they were married, a
conscious decision they made to cause as little disruption to their daughters lives as possible.
Since the extended family is close by, it is the best decision that can be made to secure a solid
foundation for their children to grow. Now at puberty age, Riley is experiencing hormonal
changes which has affected her body image which is "a person's idea of how his or her body
looks. Few teenagers welcome every physical change in their bodies. Instead, they exaggerate
imperfections and sacrifice future health to improve current body image" (Berger, 2014, Ch. 9,
Page 328). Pamela and Dennis having nothing to be concerned of yet, as they reinforce their
daughters beauty and her importance. As Riley progresses through school, her cognitive abilities
are developing into a formal operational thought process which is "characterized by more
systematic logical thinking and by the ability to understand and systematically manipulate
abstract concepts" (Berger, 2014, Ch.9, Page 334). Riley's future is bright with many
opportunities ahead of her. Riley's parents made a strong effort to establish a solid foundation for
Riley's development. A strong family unit is the backbone to most thriving children.

Works Cited
Berger, S. K. (2014). Invitation To The Life Span. New York: Worth Publishers.
Ludington-Hoe, 2011
Huh et al.,2011

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Reflection
This assignment was a great way to really showcase my understanding of the development of the
human body and mind. After everything I learned in this course, I am much more aware of how
truly amazing our bodies are and am impressed with the amount of power our minds hold. From
conception to death, our body endures an endless amount of strain and is constantly repairing
itself to carry us through to our next chapters of life. We must be better to our bodies and show
appreciation by giving it what it wants and deserves, which is a healthy life style! Feed the body
healthy food, give the body valuable exercise and rest when needed. The mind needs calm and
collective thoughts in order to provide us with the best resources. I have grown to admire the
body and mind, much more than before this class and writing this paper. I think like many, I took
the body I have for granted. But no more! I plan to use the information I gathered to better
myself, my outlook and my overall view on life.